Greenland at a glance

Lonely: Greenland is the world's second-largest island [or the largest if Australia is described as a continent] but has the lowest population density of anywhere in the world (0.026 humans per square kilometre, compared with 243 in Britain). Put another way - the entire population (57,000) would fill fewer than three quarters of the seats in the new Wembley. There are four sets of traffic lights.

Cold: Temperatures average -11C, although in July, they can soar to a maximum (but not-so-sweltering) 26C and last February, Nuuk's snow festival had to be cancelled when it became too warm to sculpt snow. Ice covers all but the rocky coastal strip, is up to 3km thick and contains 10 per cent of the world's fresh water.

Remote: Independent travel is difficult and expensive - the lack of roads means you need to take a ferry, charter a boat, hitch lifts with fishermen, or opt for light aircraft or helicopter flights with Air Greenland (www.airgreenland.com). You have to fly via Denmark (Greenland is a Danish dependency, having been claimed by the Danes in 1605) and then on, usually with Air Greenland to Narsarsuaq or Kangerlussuaq on the west coast, or via Iceland to the east coast.

Troubled: In winter, adult unemployment runs at up to 30 per cent. Many Inuit have given up subsistence hunting to move to towns, but dwindling cod stocks have led to big cuts in fishing industry jobs. Alcoholism is an increasing problem and there can be chaos in the streets on the days when unemployment cheques are paid.

Booming: Tourist numbers doubled between 2000 and 2004 to 63,380, as people increasingly seek pristine wilderness. Adventurous tourists come to hike, see polar bears, musk ox and whales, and enjoy the Northern Lights. Many come simply for 'iceberg watching' - Uunartoq Island, near Qaqortoq, has a hot spring in which it is possible to laze at 34C while icebergs float past. The finest 'bergs are found at Ilulissat.

Melting: A satellite study recently found that Greenland's icecap is melting far faster than had been thought - twice as much ice is going into the sea as five years ago. The Greenland ice sheet is now losing 220 cubic km of ice a year - around 200 times the amount of water used by a city such as LA.